Tip of the Day

Working around a dead Home button

By Charles Starrett ● Thursday, March 1, 2012

The build quality of Apple’s iOS devices is generally commendable, but we’ve encountered more than a few users who’ve had their Home button stop working, in some cases long before they were due for a cheap upgrade on their subsidized device. With the new Accessibility features in iOS 5 came an on-screen workaround for this problem, less than optimal though it may be.

To enable the workaround, open the Settings app, tap on General, tap on Accessibility, scroll down, and tap on AssistiveTouch. Turning this feature on will bring up a small button with concentric circles that when tapped will bring up an on-screen menu offering the software equivalent of the home button, as well as options for quickly accessing Device controls like volume, mute, screen lock, and rotation, Gesture controls, and saved Favorite gestures.

The button is located in the lower right hand corner by default, but can be dragged around the screen’s edge to any position you choose. Like we said, it’s sub-optimal, but if you’re dealing with a wonky Home button, it sure beats dealing with the frustration of not having your device work consistently. [via AppHipMom]

Comments

1

My wife has a problem with the home button on her phone. Plugging it in for a few seconds makes the button work again.

Posted by Charles Starrett on March 1, 2012 at 1:58 PM (CST)

1

Thank you so much! My home button has been wonky and it’s been driving me insane! This is really going to save my nerves a lot!

Posted by Charles Starrett on July 2, 2012 at 11:31 AM (CDT)

1

Turn your phone off. Use rubbing alcohol and dip a little on your finger and rub it into the home button. Then click the button on each edge for about 15 seconds each. Once you are finished with that turn your phone upside down and gently tap the phone on a desk or tabletop.

If desired let sit another 30 seconds or so to dry.

Turn on phone and enjoy your working home button. Works like a charm. You can search for videos that show this process.